Apparatus for packing articles in cans



Jan. 14, 1930. L. R. HURLBURT APPARATUS FOR PAGKING'ARTIGLES IN CANS Filed May 15', 1928 2 Sheets-5heat 4, 1930. L. R. HURLBURT ,743,780

APPARATUS FOR PACKING ARTICLES IN CANS Filed May 15, 1928 3 Shsts-Sheet 2 WITNESS INVENTOR III, a view in plan from above. From the apparatus for packing articles in cans.

Patented Jan. 14, 1930 UNITED STATES PATEM orFm-E LEE R. HURLB'UET, or FLUSHING, NEW YORK, AssIeNoR T0 PENNSYLVANIA Rosanna COMPANY, or JEANNETTE, PENNSYLVANIA, A conroRA'rIoNoF PENNSYLVANIA APPARATUS FOR -IACKII ll'('-.r ARTICLES IN CANS Application filed May 15,

By invention relates to improvements in t finds particular application in canning tennis balls. Tennis balls arethin-walled spheres, formed essentially of rubber and filled with air or other gas under pressure. Because the materials are some of them chemically unstable, ancl because the walls of the balls are not ordinarily perfectly impenetrable, it has been found expedient .to pack balls for shipment in hermetically sealed containers. These containers may or may not contain, exterior to the balls, air or other gas at elevated pressure. Tennis balls commonly are used in sets of three, and it is desirable to can them in sets of three. The cans conveniently are elongate cylinders, of diameter sufficient to admit the entrance of a single ball, with no more than sufficient clearance, and of a length approximately three times the diameter.

In the accompanying drawings a canning machine of my invention is illustrated. Fig. I is a View of the machine in side elevation; Fig. II, a view in end elevation; and Fig.

showing of Fig. III certain of the associate parts, appearing in Fig. I, are absent.

A conveyor 1 equipped with transversely extending, open ended troughs 2 brings the balls B in groups of three to the canning apparatus. The canning apparatus includes a support 3, a chute 4:, and a guide 5 provided with an elastic tongue 51 for bringing the advancing cans one by one to upright position upon a moving plate 52.

The support 3 is adapted to receive and sustain a can G in position, its open mouth toward the conveyor, aligned with a trough 2, when as the conveyor advances the trough comes to the position shown in the drawings. The support, while so sustaining a can, allows the can to be moved longitudinally upon it. The can lies upon the support, its external surface contacting with the surface of the support. Thus it is externally sustained. The space within the can is free, and the balls as they enter the can meet no obstructing body; the sides of the can alone serve to guide them. Suitable provision may be made for 1928. Serial No. 277,846.

The chute 4 is adapted toguide a filledcan I as it is pushed endwise .(from right to glett, Fig. I), and to deliver it-to the guide 5. 'The guide 5 receives the cans one by one. lt,1 nay be of any convenient form, and islsh'ownto be equipped with a tongue vor spring ,plate 51, and between tongue 51 and guide t the can is brought to erect position upon themoving plate 52, by which itmay be borne to the can-closing apparatus. A

A pusher 6 is'borne' by an endlesschain .61. This endlessch ain extends above and transversely lot the conveyor 1. Itslower reach is the portion which bears the pusher when inaction. It extends indirect course throughout all the extent of theffj trough 2, and throughout a suificient ,portion of the extent ofthesupport 3. f Itisso positioned thatthe pusheradvancesatproper interval above the hase of trough 2 @andofsupport 3 to engage a ball resting-on the trough and, through the engaged ball, a canrestin onthe support. 1

11 Ope a n, th tra l ng h vances in the direction indicated in Fig. I .an; arrow. Fig. I" shows a can "C in position on support 3, andq'a "trough 2 laden withla setof threefballs alignment withthe can. ,Thelcan ,isopen-ended toward the trough. The pusher here is shown tobe about to engage the ball on the right, and it will be understood that the pusher travels from rightto left. i In its advance, it first drives the line of balls inorder into the can,

and 'then, the balls engaging the can, pushes thefilledcanalong the'jsupport until ittopples from the. support 3 togthechute. Thecan then slides down the chute, enters theguide andit isbrought to, position uponplate 52. Meanwile, the pusher6 borne by chain 61 completes its cycle of travel and in due time meets an al enm nt ha iina new t g o until it topples from delivery into a can coming newly to position on support 3. For, with the removal of a filled can a new can. advances from the supply on incline 31, to take its position on support 3. An attendant sees to it that there is an unfailing supply of cans on incline 31, all oriented, so that when they come to position on the support 3 they are open-mouthed toward the conveyor 1.

The sprocket chain 61 is shown to be driven from a shaft 62 and it will be understood that the rotation of this shaft may be coordinated with the travel of conveyor l. The travel of conveyor 1, however, will understood to be minutely intermittent, advancing through the interval at which troughs 2 succeed one another, and then standing at rest. The pusher 6 advances through its operating reach, or at least from end to end of the trough, while the trough is at rest.

It is desirable to provide positive and intermittently acting means for holding the individual can securely to place on support 3, for in such a succession an occasional can may be so far distorted from its intended cylindrical shape, that the advancing ball instead of entering freely will bear upon the edge of the can and push it empty from the support. To such end I show a swinging clamping finger 7 operated intermittently through a connecting rod 8 from a cam 9 upon a shaft 10. The shaft 10 is driven in suitable manner, as through chain 11, in coordination with the travel of sprocket chain 61, to the end that, simultaneously with the advance of pusher 6 from right to left, Fig. I, to carry a set of three balls from a trough 2 into a waiting can, thefinger 7 will descend upon the can and hold it firmly to support 3 until the progress of pusher 6 has carried the three balls into the can. Thereupon the finger will rise, and the further advance of the pusher will drive the filled can from right to left, support 3 and slides down chute 4. r

I claim as my invention:

1. In-a-pparatus forcanning tennis balls, a conveyor equipped with a transversely extending, openended trough, a stationary can support arranged adjacent the conveyor and adapted externally to sustain a can resting the open-ended trough and above the can support, and adapted in its travelfirst topush tennis balls from a trough of the conveyor to a waiting can, and then to push the filled can longitudinally in a direction away from the conveyor. 7

2. In apparatus for canning tennis balls a movable conveyor equipped with a transversely extending open-ended ball-receiving trough, a can support arranged adjacent the conveyor and adapted to support an openended can in position for alignment with it of the conveyor-borne trough, a member movable transversely of said conveyor and adapted in the range of its movement first to push a can charge of balls from the conveyor trough to an aligned can resting on said support and in its further movement to push the charged can from the said support, and an intermittently acting clamp co-ordinated in its action with the said movable member and effective during the first portion of the described movement of the said member to hold a can at rest on the said support and inefi'ective during the further movement of the said member. l

3. In apparatus for canning tennis balls a movable conveyor equipped with a transversely extending open-ended ball-receiving trough, a can support arranged adjacent the conveyor and adapted to support a can in a Eosition for alignment with it of the trough orne by the said conveyor, an endless carrier movable in a path adjacent to and transversely disposed with respect to that of a can charge of balls borne in the trough by the said conveyor, and a finger borne by the said carrier and in the range of movement of the said carrier adapted to sweep first through the conveyor-borne trough and then across the adjacent can support.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. 7

' LEE R. HURLBURT. 

